


Varying Success

by Boxenofdonuts



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Blood and Gore, Everyone I guess, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Violence, i don't know where this came from, test subjects
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2014-01-09
Packaged: 2018-01-06 03:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boxenofdonuts/pseuds/Boxenofdonuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A program, established and lead by Grisha Jaeger, in which experimentation was the sole purpose among every single scientist that worked there. Grisha, who'd suffered through a dark childhood of corrupt human beings and war, set out to create a weapon to serve human kind, which had caused many problems for them in the past, but could be of use to human kind now, if controlled well. This project in which the test subject can use strategy and intelligence to breach the defenses of the opposing side.<br/>This project was dubbed 'The Titan Recreation Project.'<br/>And when all goes haywire, desperate times call for desperate measures.<br/>Grisha has to find Eren before anyone else does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Source of the Problem

A program, established and lead by Grisha Jaeger, in which experimentation was the sole purpose among every single scientist that worked there. Grisha, who'd suffered through a dark childhood of corrupt human beings and war, set out to create a weapon to serve human kind, which had caused many problems for them in the past, but could be of use to human kind now, if controlled well. This project in which the test subject can use strategy and intelligence to breach the defenses of the opposing side.

This project was dubbed 'The Titan Recreation Project.'

Everything seemed to be working well, cells in check, and test subjects showing little to no recoil to these. When awake, they showed great deals of intelligence and awareness as to what their sole purpose in this world was. 

Grisha never settled for this. He felt it in his gut that everything would take a turn for the worse, for no experiment goes as well as this when it's as risky as it is. 

Without the help or knowledge of any other of his workers, he created a similar concoction of the serum the test subjects were dosed with in the beginning. Later, he kept it in storage for future use.

Grisha's gut feelings were never usually wrong. 

Today would be a change in fate, he thought. He tried to convince himself that he was overreacting, that everything was fine. Just in case, he grabbed the serum he kept in storage. 

He didn't know why he felt as nervous as he did. 

Then it happened.

One of the test subjects, of which there were nine, went on a sudden rampage, teeth sharpening and bodies distorting in ways. Their skin turned a sickly shade of an abnormal pink, and Grisha felt his heart fall in his stomach after this.

He had to keep the serum safe, he had to.

Grisha managed to go on lockdown, abandoning the place after they'd gathered enough things to continue research in the future, and keeping the monsters locked away for eternity. 

He hoped. 

Though, this would take a toll on the team. The government's funds began to dwindle, almost to a stop but not quite. Test subjects were nearly impossible to access.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, he'd thought bitterly when he'd injected his screaming 12 year old son with the serum he'd managed to preserve, before his son had passed out.

Said boy wouldn't see the light of day in a long time. 

\-----

High pitched screaming from many filled the air as the warning siren sounded loudly, indicating that something went wrong in the place. The other test subjects from before managed to find the scientists, and slaughtered most of them with no remorse. 

Very few escaped.

The lab was dimly lit, the only light being the phosphorescent green that emitted from a large capsule, holding a naked 18 year old male in a strange liquid. A filigree of tubes were connected to him in many places, helping him breathe while the liquid   
nourished him in many ways. Sparks appeared from broken wires, varying in seconds, reflecting in the blood that was spread all over the floor. Growling was apparent as the subjects crossed the floor, snarling as foam and blood dripped from shark-like teeth at the new smell.

One of them suddenly flinched.

There was a shatter as the capsule broke, due to the lack of machines that should have been on.

The monsters had managed to wreck the electricity supply.

Green eyes, almost the same color of the liquid he'd been in, glowed ominously as the orbs focused on the forms in front of them. 

The man was kneeling, glass impaling his skin in many places, but after a few mere seconds a small bit of steam, he'd healed instantly. 

His expression apathetic, he stood up and stretched. The creatures, who'd lost their minds long before now, sniffed the air, flinched slightly at the sudden action before their growling grew higher in volume. 

One of them lunged forward, and all hell broke loose.

The man had simply kicked the first one in the head, and it appeared that he did so gently, but was proven otherwise to the others went that one's head went flying off in another direction. The object hit the wall and fell to the floor with a splat, joined not long   
after by the dull thud of the body hitting the floor. 

He turned his attention back to the rest, whom faltered slightly, but didn't take the death of one of their own lightly. 

The man only thought about how strange and sad they all looked before he stepped toward them, eyes flashing menacingly.   
\-----

The scientists slowly leaked back into the dark lab a few hours into the future, flashlights in hand, and the gasp of one of them was audible as a shaky finger pointed to the broken capsule. "He... subject number... he's gone!" 

Now, this wasn't all.

What really stunned them all were the many bodies that were not of their comrade's, laying on the floor, brutally murdered with what seemed one hit each.

They didn't know what to think. 

Grisha made his way into the lab behind them, stepping over dead bodies and glass, the faint splash of his boot hitting blood was faint. He gasped as well. 

"He..." Grisha trailed off. 

"What do we do, sir?" One of them asked, while the others searched the lab for any evidence of where the man went.

"We have to find him. Do you know what this means?" He asked.

"What?" Another voice, belonging to a bespectacled woman with crazy brown hair put into a high pony tail, pitched in.

"It means that my serum worked." He spoke with no hesitation.

"Serum?" The same voice questioned. 

"I knew something like this was going to happen." Grisha had made it sound like no deal.

"What do you mean you knew this was going to happen? I presume you did this on purpose, then?" She asked, voice still shaky from seeing her life flash before her eyes just hours ago.

"Calm down, Dr. Hanji. I didn't do anything on purpose. But those test subjects no doubtedly recall our scent, and there's no way of telling if they need to eat to survive. No there's no way of telling anything."

"You mean... Eren killed them?" She questioned and he turned to her, pushing his glasses up, which had fallen down the bridge of his nose, and spoke again. 

"Precisely. And the fact that they didn't allow him to join them, and attacked first, means... It worked."

"That's not good." Hanji pinched her chin between two fingers, thinking about the situation.

"If we can find Eren before anyone else does and keep everything a secret from the public, then we'll have something to present to the government."

"All we can do is pray no one else finds him first." Hanji agreed.


	2. Challenge Accepted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after the escape of the test subject, Levi receives word about it.

The night sky was pitch black, save for the barely-discernible gleam of stars scattered across the vast space up above. In this city, it was a rare sight to be seen. Through the pollution and corrupt minds of both government and gang members, there was no time to be able to see what they were all ruining.

Every man for himself, that's how it was in this dreary place. The pavement shone in the darkness from unknown--preferably so--liquids reflecting dim and flickering streetlights. It was silent, to an extent, but this neighborhood was infamous for much more. 

A dark, ominous figure lingered in the darkness of the place, for the light didn't seem to reach it. They sat upon a crate, stacked upon another, leaning against a brick wall. Their left leg dangled off, while the right was pulled up, nearly touching their chest. The most noticeable thing about them was the cigarette placed between invisible but undeniably thin, pale lips. A drag was taken every few moments, the end lighting up like the only fire that would stay true, before smoke was blown away, rising toward the heavens as it twisted and turned around itself before disappearing completely.

A gunshot was heard, but the figure didn't even jump. Instead, they merely chucked the butt of the cigarette on the ground, grinding it into the ground with a black heel, belonging to an immaculately-clean boot. 

They stuffed their hands in the pockets of black skinny jeans, stepping out into the pale light as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk, looking up.

Black hair, parted in the middle with an undercut swished softly as the pale face turned to look at the distanced stars, gazing with silver eyes that were hardened through what they've seen.

The man sighed softly, to the point where the gush of air was nearly inaudible. He turned his head to look in one direction of the street, debating on whether to pull another cigarette out of the pocket of his black trench coat, a cliche but the only thing they   
offered that didn't look as tacky. On the sleeve, an insignia of black and white wings crossing over each other was apparent. 

Currently, he was a little pissed off.

This man in particular was part of a strange gang, to say in the least. The Survey Corps. focused on doing some dirty work for the government, but for the more intelligent and less corrupted side.

Before he'd joined, the raven had no clue that any people of the sort existed like that. 

They've been doing this for a while, he learned, and now, there was a major problem.

But only the gang leader knows about it. Erwin Smith, to be exact. The raven cursed under his breath, wondering what on earth the mysterious blond with a tacky toupee (or so he thinks) thought he was doing, deciding to send his men out to kill without a   
reason.

To be honest, he wasn't particularly fond of being on the blind side when he went about his business. 

Business by orders, at that.

He was snapped out of his reverie of anger when his phone went off, vibration instead of noise because God forbid he get caught with a phone call when sneaking around.

Not that vibration helped much but it was worth something, he mused.

Pressing the answer button, he held the phone up to his ear, and let out a grunt instead of asking who it was. 

"Levi, I need to talk to you." A female voice sounded, unusually urgent.

"You're talking to me now." Levi replied, in a smart-ass tone. 

"Not now, Levi. Don't tell Erwin about this, but I found out what's been putting him on the edge as of late." 

"Enlighten me, then." He urged her to continue, and she took a deep breath.

"The Titan Recreation Project." Her voice was hard, and Levi stiffened. 

"... Why on earth is that idiot getting himself involved with something of the sort?" Levi questioned angrily. He had not the slightest clue on what the details were, but the gist of it: it was dangerous and someone could get killed.

"He's not the only one involved, Levi." 

"That's fan-fucking-tastic. Who else is involved?" 

"You know how I told you vague details about when I worked for Grisha?"

"Hn." His way of saying yes; eloquent. 

"Well, his last name was Jaeger. I left that part out."

"So... He's the one who caused this in the first place?" He hissed between his teeth, even more furious now than previously. 

"Yeah. Even more, the last test subject, the perfected one that got away? That was his son."

"Sick bastard..." He murmured, "Why would anyone do that to their own child?"

"Grisha was never okay. Not mentally, that is. I guess he always thought work was more important."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Silver orbs observed their surroundings as he checked for anyone who might be listening. 

"I thought it would be up and dealt with by now, but apparently, two years will never be enough. The fact that those pigs didn't find him by now is a surprise to me. While they were lazing around, anyone else could have found him first."

"That's not a good thing." he mused. 

"I don't like your tone of voice," she responded, words laced with suspicion.

"Looks like someone else is going to get involved." She could almost hear the smirk when he spoke out his parting words to her.

"Wait, Levi, you can't--." he hung up, shoving his phone in the pocket.

"I haven't had fun in a while. Maybe it's time to indulge myself... and get revenge on the bastard who decided to leave his subordinates in the dark about the matter at hand." A challenging simper adorning his pale, handsome features. 

"Bring it on."


	3. Chapter 3

-Eren's POV-

To be honest, I had no idea what was going on the day I became an official test subject.

But now that I look back on it, it sickens me, even so that I feel nauseous and want to throw up until I'm dry heaving.

It had been a normal day, as normal as a day in the life of a boy who's father is a head scientist doing whatever the hell people like that do. My mother had promised me, though, that I would never get involved in any of his experiments. Both of us, actually.

It would kill her to see her children turn into test subjects, really.

So we lived in safety, for our father was well known, supported by the government in many aspects, and loved us and our mother more than anything, so I brushed off any idea of what would happen if I were to get involved.

I really wish I shouldn't have, to be prepared for the emotional stress I was put through all at once.

Mother died. I don't know what happened after that, but I know for sure she was gone.

I was there.

Accompanying my mother with her shopping, I tagged along merely to help pick out what I wanted for dinner, because it was my birthday. Mikasa was with a babysitter named Annie.

I didn't like her, because she seemed really cold and unsociable, but Mikasa thought otherwise.

One minute, I'm talking with the beautiful woman I miss so, very much, and the next? She's wrestling me away from a bunch of suspicious-looking men, who'd pulled me into an alley way while we were walking back home. Once she'd managed, she threw   
herself in front of me, doing whatever she could to protect her precious child.

Oh, how I wish she hadn't.

Even to this day, I would have given up my life for her, whether or not I knew what was going to happen to me.

They demanded answers, answers to something, and I never understood. I didn't understand what they wanted from us, what we'd done to deserve such harsh treatment.

Maybe my father got himself into deep shit, but his family had nothing to do with it, and that was a near-guarantee. 

These people thought otherwise.

She denied anything, everything. Mama--no, I'm sorry.. Mom told me to run. Run as fast and as far away as I could. I didn't want to, but she insisted on this more than she'd ever done before.

I was choking back tears, then, terrified out of my mind. I ran, despite their cries of protests. 

She smiled at me. Oh God, she smiled. 

I sprinted toward home, choking back a scream and trying oh so terribly hard not to turn around and run back to her when I heard the sound of a gun being fired. 

My father was home.. no, he doesn't even deserve to be called such a thing. 

Grisha was there, home from work, and I burst in and locked the door.

He started asking me questions, so many at once, and it overwhelmed me. More and more questions that I just couldn't answer through my haze of terror. 

I passed out, as far as I can recall.

When I woke up, I was strapped to a metal table where I'd never been before. My father looked at me with something in his eyes, I couldn't tell what.

Now, I can say for sure that it was malice and regret. 

He held a syringe in his hand, filled with a strange green-ish liquid.

I had a bad feeling about it then, and even more so about it now.

I was screaming, fighting back with everything I had. Fighting for me, fighting for my freedom, fighting for my mom. 

Without knowing why I fought, I did.

But it was no use. 

I don't know what happened over the time period, but when I woke up, there was shattered glass all around me, and weird tubes were hanging where I was previously, or so I assumed. A weird, sticky mess of liquid was on the floor, and some even on me.

I felt... different, and was a little taller than I last remembered. Naked. That's slightly disturbing. Sharp glass cut into me, but was displaced and steam rose from the wounds that healed faster than they should have.

In front of me, nine beasts.. human? No, grotesque, deformed test subjects. I could tell, from what I'd heard before I became one.

Why I wasn't like them, I wasn't sure. I didn't really feel the need for answers yet at the same time, I needed to know everything.

One snarled and lunged at me, a strong enough stimulus for my response to lift my leg and kick its head.

And I wasn't surprised that it came off its shoulders cleanly.

Like it was instinct. I was meant to do that for means of survival, and had the ability to do it.

Knowing exactly what I could do, I gave them all a look of pity for what they'd become before killing them all, mercilessly. There was no remorse involved.

After I had made a big enough mess, and all were dealt with, I had no desire but to escape, because even the feeling in the air that settled in my gut told me to escape as soon as possible.

I was not safe here.

So I looked through the place for a piece of clothing, finding at least a pair of tight-fitting white pants, and running.

I ran, like it was all I've ever known. Away from the laboratory, through the city, across the pavement. Steam rose from my feet which were tearing and healing, tearing and healing.

I went back home, but Mikasa's stuff wasn't there. Why? How? Where did she go? 

I made my way to the bathroom, looking in the mirror which looked just a little dirtier. Instead of my chubby cheeks, small face, and child-like expression, the reflection held an older me, and I almost screamed. 

None of my stuff would fit me, I assumed, and stuck with what I wore. 

All I really wanted, though, was to find my sister.

I sprinted out of the house, running around town, looking for her everywhere. 

I almost gave up as I stood in the center of a plaza. A beautiful woman with charcoal orbs and stark black hair with a red scarf that seemed all to familiar look at me, and her eyes widening with realization.

I gave her a funny look as she sprinted to me, and enveloped me in a hug. 

"Eren..." The name escaped her lips, my name, as if she were relieved and overwhelmed. 

"M... Mikasa...?" I had realized who it was, before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Mikasa, we need to leave. Now, I need to get away. Please." I pulled away and held her hands in mine, looking into her eyes with frantic urgency.

"Why? E-Eren.." She started, but I looked around, unsure. Anything could happen here.

So I scooped her up, bridal style, and she gave a cry of protest, but I ran.

Through dark alley ways, much like the one mother died in.

I brushed off the thought at the time, clutching to my sister as I got away from anyone. Everyone. 

Once I was sure we were safe, I looked around, before ducking down under a bridge by the river, out of sight.

"Eren, what's going on? Where have you been?" Mikasa asked, fear lacing her words.

This startled me slightly, because growing up, Mikasa was always stoic and strong. Never scared.

I answered her anyway. "Grisha."

"Dad?" She had asked.

Nodding, I opened my mouth again, trying to gather words to explain myself, but failing.

"Eren!" She needed answers, and I exhaled audibly.

"Yeah, so, you know how he had his whole experimentation deal? I think I became part of it."

"No... He promised!" Mikasa looked torn at this.

"It's also his fault that mama... she..." I cleared my throat to get rid of the tightening, but that didn't help any. Tears filled my eyes, clinging to my lashes before streaming down my cheeks.

"She died, right? Because these... people, came along, demanding answers about dad's work. She told me to run. Run as far away as I could. The rest is.. I can't.." I choked out, wiping my eyes with my bare arm. She put a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"I won't let him find you, and I can assure you, this won't happen again." Pure animosity shone in her dark eyes, dead set on protecting me more now than ever.

"I can take care of myself. I just need to be hidden." I didn't like the idea, but I knew what was best for me. For my existence.

Better than being used as a weapon and nothing less.

So she helped me by letting me live with her. I tried not to leave, only doing so when people got suspicious, or Grisha came to look for me, because if I went anywhere, it would probably be with her.

When that happened, I stayed with Jean.

Oh, how I hate him. The pompous bastard...

I managed to stay hidden this way for two years. Maybe they've given up, maybe not. 

But I would prefer to stay hidden.

That is, if I didn't remember the emblem that was on the uniforms of the men who killed my mother.

I learned who they were, through the grape vine (also known as the news.)

A gang working for the government, and I snorted at the fact. The emblem was all to familiar, I realized as I grit my teeth in anger.

The Survey Corps. is going down, if I can help it.

I will kill every last one of them. 

For my mother, for Mikasa, for me.


	4. Chapter 4

-Eren's POV-

Today was a particularly average day.

For every so once in a while, I forgot what exactly I was, and I like that.

Maybe even for days on end.

To feel human is a little pleasure of mine. Despite the fact that Mikasa always tries to convince me that I'm no less human than I was eight years ago.

Though I look back on it despite my inner protests and relive it through my dreams--more like, my nightmares--and I feel like a monster all over again.

It's something that cannot be avoided.

I was sprawled out on the couch, limbs everywhere to be as comfortable and lazy as I would allow myself to be, watching the T.V., when the door rang.

Now, Mikasa and I knew that it would be a little too dangerous for me to answer the door. The safest way we could go about this would be for me to send her a text to answer the door, and she would immediately come down.

Though, it really wasn't a text, more just like.. a smiley.

As if on cue, a few seconds after I pressed send, she came out of the kitchen to answer the door. I shrank down on the couch, retracting my limbs so I wasn't visible to whom may disturb us.

Laying low, I tried to listen to the murmuring of voices by the door, discernible though. Raising an eyebrow, I dared to peek around the corner of the couch, relaxing when I saw a certain house-faced male I knew more than preferred.

"What's up, horse-face?" I greeted unceremoniously.

"Shut it Jaeger. There's something you need to hear." The other male gestured for me to stand up and go over to him.

"Yeah, okay." I did just that, brushing invisible dust off of me beforehand before making a beeline to him. He snorted at my attempts to stretch out his time here.

He didn't like me all that much either.

But we're not really enemies.

"What is it." It was more of a demand to hear what exactly hear what he needed to say instead of asking.

"Calm down and change the channel to the news station." He ordered, and I grumbled in annoyance before going over at my own leisurely pace, before changing the channel.

And I widened my eyes at the face I saw on the screen.

"What did he do now? Is he still after me?" I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose as if to ward off the oncoming headache from merely seeing the face of my father. Jean flopped down right next to me, slinging an arm across the back of the couch and  
crossing his legs, before using his other hand to express the 'importance' of the situation by flailing it in the air.

"Just listen." The other commanded. I turned my green gaze to the television once again. 

'...and Grisha Jaeger hasn't been found. The police suspect he may have been murdered, but have yet to find out anything. The second outbreak of unrequited test subjects which showed excessive violence are now on the loose. We will have more details about  
this after the break.'

And with that, it went to commercial.

"AGAIN!? Can that man LEARN for once that nothings going to work without his notes!?" I threw my arms up in the air, standing up and rubbing my head all the while.

"Calm down, Eren, and explain. What do you mean 'again'?" Jean inquired, and I stared down at him.

"This isn't the first time. The last time this happened, the test subjects eradicated most of his research team! Do you know how many lives have been lost due to his mistakes? And now he's missing?! I bet that coward's just hiding from the problems he's caused." I seethed through gritted teeth, glaring at my feet all the while. "Last time they let him off with a warning, but now, he's screwed over once he's found."

"So, where did the test subjects from the first time go?" The other male spoke up again, looking a little more terrified.

Memories flashed by my eyes, and I stared off into space, wide-eyed as images I didn't want to recall came back to me. Oh, how I pity the fools.

Literally.

"Jaeger? Are you okay?" Jean was standing now, waving a hand in my face. I pressed a hand to my aching head, forehead to be precise, before nodding grimly. 

"...I'll be fine. We need to focus on the whereabouts of Grisha." I stated seriously, and Jean snorted.

"How!? He's missing, Eren! We don't know where he could be--." He cried out incredulously, but I cut him off.

"I KNOW THAT, GOD DAMMIT! But we need to plan out the most likely places he would go if he were to hide! Where'd Mikasa go?" I asked, looking around for my adoptive sister, who poked her head out of the kitchen.

"I'm in here, Eren. What do you need?" She asked, as if she were my maid.

That's just weird. I shook my head at the thought and made my way over to her. "Where do you think Grisha would have gone if he needed to hide from the government and their lackeys?" I asked her, and she put a hand to her chin, staring at the ceiling in thought.

"My best guess would be the old lab. He might be scavenging for old notes." She suggested, before her eyes widened. "No, Eren. No, no, and no. You're not going after that man."

"I'm going to kill him. Oh, I'm going to kill him." I furiously drawled out, heading toward the door barefoot.

"Eren!" She grabbed my arms, holding me back.

"Always causing trouble, aren't you Jaeger?" Jean asked. "I think he should go. It'd be funny to see him beat the shit out of his father." He shrugged, and for once, I agreed with him.

"If he's alone, that's even better. It would be troublesome for me to be caught. Knowing him, he's probably busy being frantic about not being caught by anyone, defenses lowered to his long-disappeared son." I smirked sadistically.

"Do you even know where it is?" They both asked after sharing a meaningful glance at each other.

"I think running all the way to the plaza barefoot from that place would help me remember where it is when I tore up my feet all the while. I remember, and oh, he's going down."

"I'll come too, then." Mikasa suggested, and I shook my head.

"I don't want you to get hurt." I stared her down, and she glared back. 

"I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself here, Eren. The one who needs protection is you!"

"Mikasa! You don't need to baby me! I'm living with you, but you don't need to treat me like a little kid!" I shouted, and Jean slapped me before grabbing the front of my shirt.

"Don't yell at her like that! She's just worried about you! I'm so jealous!" He cried furiously, and I growled back.

"What?! I don't understand you!" I shouted back, and he threw me back.

I stumbled, falling on my butt with lack of grace, before glaring up with pure animosity at the man who threw me.

"I'm saying you should listen to your sister! She fawns over you, she's a genius, a powerful woman, and gorgeous! Do you know how many men would kill to be in your shoes?" At this, I scrunched up my nose in disgust.

"Jean, I don't know what goes on in that messed up mind of yours, and even though I agree that she is all of those things, I don't need to be treated like a child, and I'm not an incestuous freak like you are!" I spat back angrily, and a flicker of hatred became  
apparent in his eyes.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say!?" He asked, kneeling down and grabbing my shirt again.

"INCESTUOUS. FREAK!" I all but screamed in his face, and another moment later, we were both on the ground, scuffling.

Mikasa had to break us apart, grabbing us by the collars and pulling us away from each other with her monstrous strength.

After a few minutes of sitting on the couch, Mikasa sitting in between us so we 'don't start fighting again' and pouting, I spoke up.

"You're not coming with me, Mikasa."

"Well, why not, Eren?" She asked, turning to me with anger-filled rare obsidian eyes. "That's not fair. I can take care of myself."  
"Do you realize what you're up against?!" I stood up for the umpteenth time from my temper issues. "The last batch of failed experiments killed the majority of Grisha's team! What would happen if they laid their hands on you?" I argued, and she stood up as  
well.

We just cannot sit still, it appears. 

"I can fight; I'm not weak! I can take care of myself, and I can protect you!" She argued back, fists clenched and at her sides in fury as Jean sat there, staring at the scene.

"I would never forgive myself if you got hurt, Mikasa! You're the only true family I have left!" 

"And you think you're not mine? What if you get hurt?!"

"I won't get hurt! I know I won't, just trust me--." She cut me off. Ooh, did she cut me off.

"Eren, you can't--." Two can play at that game.

"Mikasa, you don't under--."

"You'll get yourself kil--."

"You're more likel--."

"Just listen to m--."

"STOP!" I commanded, and she flinched back. My face faltered for a moment. "Do you know.. what happened to the first unrequited test subjects, Mikasa?" I asked quietly, dangerously.

"Are they still out there...?" She asked tentatively, and I chuckled dryly, shaking my head.

"... I brutally murdered all of them." I muttered, earning deadly silence and bewildered stares before continuing.

"Grisha made me a monster. Grisha was always a monster." I stated bitterly, his name like venom on the tip of my very tongue.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HOLD UP A SEC.  
> THERE'S VIOLENCE AND BLOOD AND JUNK IN HERE SO YEAH

In the end, Mikasa decided to come along.

Jean, on the other hand, backed out. I don't blame him. 

He may piss me off, but that doesn't mean I would want him to get hurt. 

Not that I care.

Every step I took was one more closer to my future, and instead of hiding like I have for the past two years, I was ready for what may come.

No matter what could happen, whether I get hurt or not, I was confident because I was going to do something, something that will make a difference if I do it right.

And if I don't there's always a second chance as long as that bastard is still alive and breathing.

Hell, he doesn't even deserve to.

Mikasa walked alongside me, and I vowed silently to protect her. She's strong, but I don't want to let Grisha anywhere near her. 

It was getting darker by the minute. We increased our pace, despite the fact that we had no idea what we were walking into. Adjusted the backpack on my back with objects inside, including a very necessary flash light.

Before long, we were picking our way through underbrush and trees whose branches hung lower than they had when I escaped, hiding the building easily. 

Brushing leaves out of our hair and off of our clothing, we stood in front of the opening. The door was wide open, and peering inside, everything was messy, as far as I could tell considering how dark it was.

A breeze swept in from behind us, carrying leaves into the abandoned lab. I stepped in, feeling and hearing the audible crunch of twigs under my feet. I knelt down, ignoring the dirt and not minding getting dirty, fishing around through my backpack and   
pulling out a flashlight. I flicked it on, and pointed it around idly, taking in my surroundings at a glance. 

Mikasa pulled out her own, doing the same while I closed up the back with a loud ZIP! She took the bag, and I moved forward silently.

Anything we knocked into would kick up dirt and dust, becoming apparent in the beams of our flashlights as clouds swirled around each other. I waved it away, and made my way to the room my capsule was in, Mikasa in tow.

"It's disgusting in here." She mumbled under her scarf, which she used to make sure she wouldn't breathe in any dust or dirt. I didn't mind it too much; there wasn't much to begin with.

"Grisha wasn't ever a clean man. It's his fault that everything is like it is." I replied, my voice low and uncaring. I picked up some of the documents occupying one of the tables, squinting in an attempt to make out the illegible scrawling across.

I stepped into another room, and it dawned on me that this was the same room I woke up in. Old blood splatters were still apparent, but not very.

The corpses of the subjects I killed were gone, and I didn't even care where they went.

I shone my flashlight on the broken capsule, kneeling down and ignoring the crunch of glass under my shoe as I inspected the once-iridescent liquid which encased me for six years.

Unfortunately.

A loud noise from a room nearby startled me, causing me to jump up. Mikasa was already moving.

"Mikasa, Mikasa! Wait!" I whispered, worried for her.

"I'll be fine, Eren." She glanced back at me. "It's probably an animal that came in, since the door is open." She reasoned, and I huffed, shoulders shrugging slightly with the action.

"I don't trust anything about this place. I never did." I murmured, moving after her into the other room.

Suddenly, a loud gasp came from her. Something scared her. 

And that wasn't common.

"Mikasa, what's wro-- oh." I stopped, my mouth left in an 'o' formation as I took in the sight in front of me.

Three pairs of glowing green eyes were apparent. I cursed audibly, but before I could move in front of her, one of the bodies those malicious orbs belonged to leaped forward. Mikasa, on instinct, held up an arm to block it, and though a pair of teeth dug into   
her arm, she brought up her knee to meet the other's stomach. 

It gave a short yelp, letting go of her arm, and she used her uninjured hand to crouch down slightly and give it a nice uppercut. It backed away slightly as it nursed it's jaw, but no marks appeared as far as I could tell with the flashlights. 

Mikasa growled. It was her protective growl.

In turn, two of the three creatures snarled right back at her. The other two, which were taken aback by the fact that one of those humans fought back, well at that, regained their heightened senses and both lunged at the female at the same time.

I couldn't stand around. I pushed her to the side, holding up both of my arms in an X to block them. I winced and bit back a cry as I felt their teeth dig into my arms, similar as to what the third did to Mikasa. 

Said third grabbed my beg with gnarled, overgrown hands, and bit into my calf. 

I felt blood running down my chin from how hard I bit down to hold back my screams, ignoring Mikasa's angered screams of her own.

There was nothing I could do in this position but hold them off.

"Mikasa, go." I kept my voice as level as I could possibly manage; nevertheless, it wavered.

I wasn't afraid of getting hurt, I was afraid of her getting hurt.

"But Eren, I can help--." Not this again.

"MIKASA." I cut her off harshly, and she went silent.

I chose this time to continue, making sure to focus on the subjects in front of me. "I want you to go. You're not safe here."

"But Eren--!"

"These creatures regenerate if you don't kill them correctly. I know this on instinct. I'm the same." I looked at her out of the corner of my eye.

"You won't. Please. Go find Jean, and stay with him. I'll be okay." With this, I offered a small smile of reassurance.

She looked hesitant, and her eyes sparkled with tears, but she ran nonetheless.

A sigh of relief left my arms before one of them released my arm and went for my shoulder.

So I fought back.

As one took a chunk out of my leg and swallowed the flesh and muscle, I went for the throat of the other that was trying to attack me differently.

I dug my teeth into it's throat, and viciously ripped out a majority of it. The creature reached for its neck, but I went in again, digging in until it was beheaded. It fell to the ground, steam rising up as its now-corpse began to dissipate.

It tasted disgusting, but I kept fighting with all I had.

With my free leg, I kicked the one down below, and the second moved to my neck.

I was about to repeat the same action as I had before, when I heard the sound of footsteps and the slick sound of a knife, before the two fell to the ground, joining the third. I collapsed, wiping blood away from my mouth and spitting as well as gagging,   
looking to my leg which already healed, and then up.

I was met with the sight of a silver eyed man who's eyes glinted menacingly when I pointed my flashlight up. His ebony-black hair contrasted greatly against his porcelain skin, and his thin eyebrows were furrowed, a scowl on his face as if I had disturbed him.

Despite this, I concluded one thing.

"You're beautiful..." The words came out as a whisper under my breath, and he raised one of those oh-so-thin eyebrows questioningly before a deep, smooth voice passed through his thin lips.

"Thanks, kid. Now." He knelt down to my level, and stared deep into my eyes.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea where this came from. I was listening to a RED song, and all of a sudden, I felt the sudden urge to open up my wordpad, and boom. I don't know what this is. I'm gomen. ^^


End file.
